Controller for automobile lamps



F. WALDQRF CONTROLLER FOR AUTOMOBILE LAMPS Filed May 4. 1925 2Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

A TTORNEY 552% W240 v \NALQJQRF CONTROLLER FOR AUTOMOBILE LAMPS FiledMay 4, 1923 2 Sheets-Shee 2 INVENTOR. 8Y4: WM

A TTORNEY Patented Dec. 23, 1924.

UNITED STATES FRED WALDORF, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

CONTROLLER FOR AUTOMOBILE LAMPS.

' Application filed May 4, 1923. Serial No. 636,686.

1 citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county ofAlleghen and State of Pennsylvania, have invents new and usefulImprovements in Controllers for 1 Automobile Lamps, of which thefollowing is aspecification.

My invention relates to controllers for automobile or other lights.

, The laws of the several States require that the lamps of automobilesparked in public places shall be lit at a certain hour in the evening.It is the object of my invention to provide a time-controlled device-which maybe set to cause the lamps to be lit at an desired time and toremain lit, if desire for a definite period, as, for ex ample, until adefinite time before sunrise. I obtain these results without disturbingithe usual manual control of the lamps.

Other objects appear hereinafter. Referring to the accompanying1drawings,

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view s owing the electric system and portionsof the clock mechanism for controlling the electric sys tem; Fig. 2 is aside view of a portion of the mechanism,the gearing being arranged 3is afragmentary view showing a portion of the trip-setting devices; and Fig.4 is a diagram of the circuits of a modification of my invention. Fig. 5is an elevation of the lever 61 and adjacent parts, and Fig. 6 is a lanview of the lever 66.

n the drawings, 1 designates the bright head-lamps,.2 the dim lamps, 3the dash lamp, and 4 the tail lamp.

5 is a switch pivoted between its ends on the pivot 6 and having'the arm7 constructed to engage either the contact 8 or the contact 9. It hasthewide arm 10 arranged to connect the contacts 11 and 12 whenever the arm7 is on the contact 8 or 9.

l 13 and.14 are a pair of contacts arran ed to automatically separatewhen permitte to do so; and 15 and 16 are a second pair of 15 isconnected by the wire 19 to one terminal of the dash lamp 3 and thetail-lamp 1 4; andthe contact 16 isconnected by the wire 20 to thecontact 11. The generator 21 has one terminal connected by thewire 22 tothe switch 5 and contact 12. The remaining terminals of the generatorand the lamps are grounded to the frame of the car which is indicated bythe. bar 23.

24 and 25 are contacts connected respectively to the wires 17 and 19;and 26 and 27 are two switches connected by the insulating piece 28 andconnected respectively to the wires 18 and 20. The switch members 26 and27 are arranged to simultaneously engage the contacts 24 and 25, but thecontacts are normally open, as they are for use only when thecontrolling mechanism is out of order.

The switch contacts or members 14 and 16 are forced againstvthe'contacts or members 13 and 15 by three cams 29, 30, and 31011 the faceof the wheel or disk 32 having in its periphery or edge the six radialslots 33 arranged degrees apart, the cams being arranged 120 degreesapart and beear 39 and havingits free end overlapping in a ,line for thesake of clearness; and Fig.

the disk 35 and adapted to ride on the ledge 40 on the disk 35 at therear of the in 34, the lever being forced toward the isk 35 by thespring 41 assoon as the ledge travels past thelever. The lever 38 hasthe lug 42 which interlocks with the wheel 43 of the usual alarm-train44 of a clock mechanism, this train being driven by the usual spring inthe s ring-barrel 45. The post 46 of the springarrel carries the gear 47which meshes with the pinion 48 on the shaft 36, the latter having agear 49 which meshes with the pinion 50 on the shaft 51 which carriesthe wheel '43.

52 is the time-controlling train of a clock mechanism, the escapementmechanism being omitted. 53 is the usual alarm-trip wheel which keeps instep with the hourhand wheel 54, the driving-spring drum being shown at55. The wheel 53 is loose on the trip or setting-shaft 56, and carriesthe hub or collar 57 havin free edge, the notch aving the inclined wall59 leading to the said free ed e. The wheel 53 has secured thereto theger 60 which lies on the said free end of the collar 57, the latterbeing kept in contact with the finger by the spring-actuated arm 61which is urged against the rear side of the wheel 53 by the spring 62.The shaft 56 is turned by means of the knob 63. The shaft 56 carries thepointer 64 which over lies certain numerals arranged as they are on acommon clock-face. All the time-controlling mechanism 52 so fardescribed is old and well known.

The spring-actuated arm 61 surrounds the shaft 56 and extends to a pointopposite the disk 35, where it is provided with the bellcrank leverhaving the arms 65 and 66 urged clockwise on its pivot 67 by the spring68, the arm 61 having the stop-lug 69 to limit the movement of thelever-arm 65 to a po+ sition overlying the disk 35. The lever-arm 66 isadapted to lie beneath the hook 70 on the arm 38 so as to lift the arm38 when the notch 58 comes beneath the finger 60. The lifting of the arm38 lifts the stop-lug42 away from the wheel 43 and allows the train ofwheels driven by the wheel 47 to turn the disk 35. a

When the automobile is driven after dark and bright lights are desired,the switch 5 is set with the arm 7 on the contact 8, current passingfrom the generator 21 through the arm 7, the'contact 8, the brighthead-lamps 1 and the frame 23 to the generator 21. Also current from thegenerator passes through the arm 10, the contacts 12 and 11, the wire20, the contacts 15 and 16, the wire 19, the

. tail anddash lamps 4 and 3, and the frame 23 to the generator. Theclock mechanism will have previously closed the contacts 15 and 16 at atime predetermined bythe setting of the shaft 56, exactly as theoperation of an alarm would be tri ped by the said shaft in the usualalarm c ock.

If dim lights are desired, the switch 5 is moved so that the arm 7engages the contact'9. Current from the generator 21 then passes throughthe wire 22, the arm 7, the contact 9, the wire 17, the contacts 13 and14, the wire18, the dim head-1i hts 2, and the frame 23 to the enerator.The circuits of the dash and tail amps remain as before.

In case the driver wishes to park his automobile before the legal timefor lighting the lamps and to have the dim and tail lamps lit at adefinite time, he places the switch 5 with the arm 7 on the dimmercontact 9 and sets the shaft 56 so that the notch 58 will come under thefinger 60 at the said definite time. When that t1me arrives (thecontacts 14 and 16 being previously off from any of the cams 29, 30, and31, causin the contacts 1314, and.1516 to be open the spring 62 forcesthe arm 61 out, causing the arm 66 to lift the arm 38 which lifts thetrip-lug42 from the stop-wheel 43. The gear-train driven .by wheel 47causes the disk 35 to rotate, the pin 34 turning the wheel 32 onesixthof a revolution and bringing the next cam 29, 30, or 31, as the case maybe, under arm 38 to ride upon.

tion leaves the arm 61' pressed outwardly.

In order that the arm 38 may not drop until the pin 34 has passed beyondthe arm 65, the

ledge 40 is provided for the end of the lifted The length of the ledgeis such as to allow the arm 38 to drop soon after the pin has passed thearm 65. As the time-train travels, the notch 60 riding under the fingerpushes the wheel 53 and the arm 61 inwardly until the outer end of theincline 59 is reached by the finger. At or slightly before this, the arm61 has been moved inwardly enough to cause the arm 66 to ride down theinclined outer end of the hook 70, the bell-crank turning to permit thearm 66 to do this, and to snap back under the hook. It is thus seen thatat a predetermined time the dim and tail and dash lamps will be lit andthat they will remain lit unless interfered with, until the wheel 53makes another revolution, at which time, say 12 hours later, the wheel53 permits the arm 61 to be a sin raised. This again setsin operation te mechanism to rotate the wheel 32 one-sixth of a revolution and to movethe cam from beneath the contacts 14 and 16, thereby opening thelight-circuits, which will be again closed in twelve hours, if themechanism is allowed to operate as described.

It is seen that when the switches 26 and 27 are closed, the lamps can becontrolled by the switch 5, even though the clock mechanism is out oforder so that the contacts 1314, and 15-16 remain open.

Referring now to Fi 4, I have omitted the dimming lamps, an provided fordimming the lamps 1 by the insertion of the resistance 71 in series withsaid lamps when the arm 7 is on the contact 9 and either the contacts 13and 14 are closed or the switch 26 is on the contact 24. In this figureas well as in Fig. 1 all the lamp circuits ma be opened by moving theswitch 5 free the contacts 8, 9, 11 and 12.

I claim- 1. In an electric light-controlling system, a time-clock havinga tri ping mecha anism, means carried by the wheel for closing andopening the switch at alternate steps, a manually controlled switchhaving alternate contacts, one of the contacts being in series with thefirst switch, a second circuit including the generator, and a secondlamp connectible to the second circuit by the second switch when on theremaining contact. thereof.

- 2. In all-electric light-controlling system, a time-clock having atripping mechanism automatically releasable thereby atpredetermined'times, an electric circuit containing an electric lamp anda switch, an electric generator for the circnit,".-a motor-drivenswitch-controlling train of gears, means,

controlled by the tripping mechanism for releasing and stopping the saidtrain of gears, a wheel driven step by step by the train at successivereleases of the said tripping mecha anism, means carried by the wheelfor closing and opening the switch at alternate steps, a manuallycontrolled switch having alternate contacts, one of the contacts beingin series with the first switch, a second circuit including thegenerator, a second lamp connectible to the second circuit bythe secondswitch. whenon the remaining contact thereof, a third lamp, and contactstor the third lamp closed by the second switch when the same is oneither of its contacts.

3. In an electric light-controlling system,

- a time-clock, a pair of switches controlled thereby, dim-light andtail-light circuits controlled by the respective switches, a

bright-light circuit, and a manually-controlled switch having onecontact in series with the dim-light circuit and another con-v tact inseries with the bright-light circuit.

4. In an electric light-contro ling system, a time-clock, a pair ofswitches controlled thereby, dim-light and tail-light circuitscontrolled by the respective switches, a bright-light circuit, and amanually-controlled swich havin one contact in series with the dim-light"circuit and another contact in series with the bright-light circuit,and having contacts adapted to be placed in series with the tail lightcircuit, and to be disconnected when the latter open position,

5. In an electric light-controlling system, a time-clock, a pair ofswitches controlled thereby, dim-light and tail-light circuits.

controlled by the respective switches, a bright-light circuit, amanually-controlled switch having one contact in series with thedim-light circuit and another contact in series with the bright-lightcircuit and havin contacts adapted to be placed in series wit thetail-light circuit, and to be disconnected when the latter switch is in0 en position,

and a second manually-contro ed switch inshunt with the pair ofswitches.

6. In an electric light-controlling system, a light circuit, atime-clock mechanism, a motor driven mechanism, means controlled by thelatter for opening and closing the light circuit, a lever having a stopdevice for stopping and releasing the motor-driven mechanism, and alever controlled by the time-clock mechanism for operating the firstlever 1 '2. In an electric light-controlling system, a light circuit, aswitch therefor, a step-bystep wheel for controlling the switch, a wheelfor operating the first wheel,.a lever carrying a stop for releasing andstopping the second wheel, a time-clock mechanism,

FRED WALDOBF,

switch is in whereof, I hereunto afiix

